Eating My Way Through 2013

Having an appetite for life can make people very, very hungry, which is why I decided to eat my way through Manhattan! On my quest to find exciting events, the best restaurants and adventures, I found Italian cuisine, Southern fare and spicy Thai.

Starting in Nolita at Uncle Boons, (The owners want diners to scream “Uncle” from all the spicy dishes coming out of the kitchen), I found some favorite dishes including the Kai Yang Muay Thai or Rotisserie chicken with dipping sauces and green mango salad. No warning label needed! This dish isn’t as spicy as the rest and only requires one glass of water.

Another great dish was a recipe from the owner’s mum called Sai Krok Ampai, which was Grilled Issan pork and rice sour sausage. Recommended. Thanks mum.

You can never go wrong with sweetbread. Well, you can go wrong, but Uncle Boons did NOT go wrong with this savory dish with crunchy glass noodles.

Following the yellow brick road, I mean, Minetta Lane to the West Village, I found myself at many restaurants including Italian restaurant Perla. The vibe, menu and atmosphere at Perla is upscaled yet relaxed and the cocktails were fantastic (so please keep those flowing). I started with Antipasti by ordering the grilled octopus with oven dried tomatoes, eggplant and fett’unta to result in a savory mountain of tentacles seasoned to perfection.

I gave my taste buds a slight break before the beef tartare arrived on our table with bone marrow to add extra flavor and mushrooms. I wish you can taste this dish via photo, (although I would still only share one bite).

One of my favorite restaurants this year was L’Artusi located on 10th st. As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I was overjoyed! I don’t know if that’s my inner fat kid coming out.. or relief that the restaurant was nice and cozy from the freezing cold. (Definitely the inner fat kid!) The restaurant is one of the most buzzed about Italian restaurants in New York. Aside from the great dishes, the food is consistent, which is key to a great and sustainable place.

I started with charred octopus (again), which was grilled to perfection and had a slight tang from the olives, which had my taste buds dancing all over again.. served with potatoes, chilies and pancetta. Oh my !

Throughout my first dish, I kept looking over at my neighbors Tagliatelle dish with bolognese and Parmesan (sorry for being creepy). So I obviously felt inclined to order it! With a slight pinch of red chilli flakes adds some heat and al dente noodles and tons of meat, I was in heaven. Sigh.

Ending on a sweet note, we had to order a dessert, which was a very hard decision! (above) I was told to order the Olive Oil Cake with creme fraiche mousse or the seasonal pumpkin tiramisu with mascarpone mousse, but I have to come back for those. Craving a salty and sweet mix, we ordered a hazelnut chocolate torta with praline crunch and salted caramel gelato. Yup, there was no going wrong with this decision.